TheSun.co.uk

 

WRESTLING star Ludvig Borga has died at the age of 47.

WRESTLING star Ludvig Borga has died at the age of 47.

The grappler, real name Tony Halme, was found at his home in Helsinki, Finland.

Finnish police have ruled out foul play, but there is no further information on the cause of death.

Halme had a varied career that took in a lot more than just wrestling.

He was also a movie actor, TV star, boxer, Mixed Martial Fighter, bodyguard, author and even a politician - serving in the Finnish parliament from 2003-2007 once his sporting career had ended.

For wrestling fans he will always be best remembered for his six months in the WWE, from July 1993 to January 1994, wrestling under the name Ludvig Borga.

The 6ft 4in star played a typical big foreign bad guy, coming to the ring accompanied by the Finnish national anthem.

He received a good push in the federation including victories over Marty Jannetty and Tatanka and feuds with main event stars Lex Luger and Razor Ramon.

Borga also briefly 'won' the intercontinental from Ramon, as you can see in the video below, but the decision was reversed and the title change never officially recognised.



Ludvig's WWE run was ended by an ankle injury and he left the wrestling business altogether a year later to go into MMA, where his record included a loss to UFC legend Randy Couture.

Despite his political success, winning a landslide on an anti-immigration platform, the last few years were tough for Halme.

In 2003 he was hospitalised after firing a pistol at his home, allegedly during an argument with his wife. The incident led to him receiving a large fine and suspended prison sentence for firearms and drugs violations. Steroids were also found in his apartment.

In 2006, Halme was convicted for driving while impaired, diagnosed with alcohol-related cirrhosis and also involuntarily committed to a mental hospital, reportedly due to drink-induced delirium.

In October 2009, he was arrested again for driving while under the influence of drugs. The charges are still pending.

The star also told in a recent interview how he had been suffering from memory loss and was struggling to finish a book about his political career.

Jim Ross Says Ludvig Borga Was A Selfish Bully

 

WWE commentator Jim Ross has claimed dead wrestling star Ludvig Borga was selfish and a bully.

Borga, real name Tony Halme, died earlier this month at the age of 47. Police in his home country of Finland have now confirmed that he committed suicide.

After quitting wrestling in the mid-1990's, Tony went into politics representing a very right wing Finnish party and allegedly had a Nazi tattoo.

He also had a number of personal problems, being arrested and even sectioned after his drinking and drug-taking spiralled out of control.

Writing on his blog, JR said: "Been reading a little about the death of Tony Halme aka Ludvig Borga and, including his concealed SS tattoo on his calf.

"I won't speak at length about those that have passed away but Tony obviously had issues and was not a great guy to be around.

"Perhaps others have a different view of this man but I personally found him to be somewhat obnoxious and he could be a bully if allowed to be such.

"Guys like Halme don't mix well in any locker room and need to be removed from the 'team' sooner than later."

Ross added: "I still feel badly about the last years of Tony's life as things really unravelled for him seemingly due to alcohol and drug issues.

"When one competes with 'demons' unfortunately the 'demons' usually win unless one is personally and thoroughly committed to changing one's behaviour.

"Wrestlers with problems of this nature either need to have the problem solved, which takes everyone's best efforts and specifically the individual himself, or have the problem person needs to be eliminated from the equation.

"That might sound harsh but some folks would rather 'catch a buzz' than do the right thing for themselves, their family and the company for which they work. "